Psychology

The curriculum in the Department of Psychology is designed to provide an introduction to the subfields within the discipline. Emphasis throughout is on the scientific study of behavior and its underlying cognitive and biological processes.

Students with little or no background in psychology should take PSYC 110 Introduction to Psychology.

Students who have had a year-long course in psychology while in high school may wish to skip Introduction to Psychology and take either

Ordinarily, first-year students should not enroll in PSYC 290 Statistics, PSYC 295 Research Methods, or PSYC 260 Human Sexuality.

Major

A psychology major requires ten courses in psychology, including PSYC 290 Statistics and PSYC 295 Research Methods.

Other courses counted toward the major must be distributed in the following manner:

Two courses from Cluster A (at least one of which must include a laboratory):

PSYC 165 Comparative
Animal Behavior in the Tropics w/lab

PSYC 220 Brain
and Behavior

PSYC 260 Human
Sexuality

PSYC 280 Introduction
to Psychopharmacology

PSYC 300 Comparative
Animal Behavior w/lab

PSYC 320 Cognitive
Psychology w/lab

PSYC 323 Human
Memory

PSYC 330 Learning

PSYC 335 Sensation
and Perception

PSYC 355 Evolutionary
Psychology

PSYC 360 Behavioral
Neuroscience w/lab

PSYC 366 Behavioral
Endocrinology

Two courses from Cluster B:

PSYC 230 Social
Psychology

PSYC 240 Childhood
and Adolescence

PSYC 245 Adult
Development and Aging

PSYC 255 Stereotyping
and Prejudice

PSYC 352 Social
Cognition

PSYC 370 Personality

One course from Cluster C:

PSYC 380 Psychology
Practicum

PSYC 390 History
and Systems

PSYC 400 Psychology
of Gender

PSYC 480 Advanced
Research

PSYC 497 Senior
Seminar

Electives: Three courses from psychology listings at any level.

A minimum of four of the ten courses must be at the 300-level or above.

Minor

Six courses in psychology, at least three of which must be at the 300-level or above.

Course Planning

If students do not have a good background in psychology, the first psychology course to take is PSYC 110 Introduction to Psychology. A second course should be chosen from PSYC 230 Social Psychology, PSYC 240 Childhood and Adolescence, or PSYC 245 Adult Developmentand Aging.
Students who major in psychology often take one of these 200-level courses the first year. It should be emphasized, however, that students who have had a year-long course in psychology while in high school may wish to skip Introduction to
Psychology and take either PSYC 230 Social Psychology, PSYC 240 Childhood and Adolescence, or PSYC 245 Adult Developmentand Aging. First-year students may also wish to take PSYC 220 Brain and Behavior.

For Psychology majors, the next two courses should be PSYC 290 Statistics and PSYC 295 Research Methods (a laboratory course). Both Statistics and Research Methods are required for the major and if possible should be taken during the sophomore year. Ordinarily, first-year students are discouraged from enrolling in either of these
courses.

After taking the introductory and foundational courses listed above, students are ready to take courses that explore psychological topics in depth. These courses are:

PSYC 260 Human Sexuality

PSYC 280 Introduction to Psychopharmacology

PSYC 300 Comparative Animal
Behavior (Lab)

PSYC 320 Cognitive Psychology
(Lab)

PSYC 323 Human Memory

PSYC 330 Learning

PSYC 335 Sensation and
Perception

PSYC 340 Psychological
Assessment

PSYC 351 Health Psychology

PSYC 352 Social Cognition

PSYC 355 Evolutionary
Psychology

PSYC 360 Behavioral
Neuroscience (Lab)

PSYC 365 Emotions

PSYC 366 Behavioral
Endocrinology

PSYC 367 Psychology and Law

PSYC 370 Personality

PSYC 385 Abnormal Psychology

Finally, courses that are designed for students with a good background in psychology are:

PSYC 380 Psychology Practicum

PSYC 390 History and Systems

PSYC 400 Psychology of Gender

PSYC 480 Advanced Research

PSYC 497 Senior Seminar

These courses are typically taken in the junior or senior year.

Sequencing
of Courses

Statistics is a prerequisite for Research Methods.

Research Methods is a prerequisite for most other psychology laboratory courses.

Notes

Students planning to go to graduate schools that require the Psychology portion or the General portion of the GRE are advised to take these tests at the end of the junior year or early in the senior year.

Students who have already taken two or more psychology courses at the 200-level or above will not be allowed to take Introduction to Psychology.

Students who take PSYC 295 Research Methods must take the corresponding lab section. For example, PSYC 295 L1 is the correct lab to accompany PSYC 295 01.

PSYC 380 Psychology
Practicum will not count toward the minor.

PSYC 165 Comparative
Animal Behavior in the Tropics is a summer course appropriate for students at any level.

Senior Capstone Experience

The Senior Capstone Experience for the psychology major consists of successful completion of a Cluster C course and a comprehensive examination. The examination is the Major Field Test (MFT) in psychology and is intended as an assessment device for senior psychology
majors. It consists of 140 multiple-choice items covering the major areas of psychology. The examination is normally taken during the spring semester of the senior year. The grade for the Senior Capstone Experience is based on the MFT standardized score.